I’m a pretty good student, and I like school and can work pretty hard. I’m trying to do game design but I could also do physics, chemistry, or one of my many other interests for a major. But should I be trying to go for Carnegie Mellon? I don’t like to be pushed to work very hard, I want to do it on my own initiative. I’ve heard CMU is competitive, and I would need to go through a lot of hassle to be able to apply (I haven’t taken the sat subject tests). Is it worth the effort?
If you don’t like to be pushed to work very hard, take every top 50 school off your list. Seriously. These schools cater to kids who are (A) so smart they don’t have to work hard, or (B) overachievers who make up for any talent deficiency by working their tails off.
I attended a Tartan Overnight at CMU with my son a couple of years ago, and I don’t recall the question but in his answer the Assistant Dean of the School of Computer Science mentioned it was common to see kids in the CS program up at 4:00am trying to finish projects due the next day. If that is not you, skip the SAT subject tests.
That happens with CS at any school.
My son’s friend is a freshman at CMU. He wasn’t accepted into engineering so is doing Bio. We used to call him
Mr. 5 in high school due to his AP scores. He wasn’t a super hard worker, it came easily. His mom told me before the end of September he was in getting tutoring because the classes were so hard and he falling behind already. If hard work isn’t your thing, I don’t think CMU is for you. If you like game design, look at Champlain College.